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1. According to The Age report, Kevin Dillon suggests a pastoral fund be set up to support victims of sexual abuse by catholic clergy.
   But no amount of money will make victims' suffering go away. Kevin's proposal requires the Catholic laity to put their hands in their pockets yet again, this time to fund a scheme misguidedly intended to help victims of clerical miscreants.
   Such a proposal is simply another symptom of clericalism, the very clericalism which created the sex abuse crisis in the first place. Better to sell off some of the Church's big business enterprises such as its hospitals and schools to provide the funds, if that's what victims really need.

   Posted By: Jim

2. I wonder whether Fr Dillon's personal experiences with victims of clerical abuse are sufficient for him to pronounce sentence of death on Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response.
   I also wonder whether any abuse procedures can ever be enough for people who may be seriously damaged - there's no magic bullet that will satisfy all the needs of all the victims. The procedures must be reviewed, of course,and surely this is part of the task of the Royal Commission.
   I also agree with Jim. I don't think laypeople (the group from which almost all the victims come) want to pay for the sins of the clergy.
   I pray for you, my brothers, but pay and obey? Not any more.

   Posted By: Joan Seymour

3. To Joan Seymour (and Jim as well);
   Yes, Joan, I believe my personal experiences with victims are certainly sufficient for me to pronounce a 'death sentence', as you call it, on the protocols established in 1996 and 1997.
   They have been so fruitful and helpful for victims that we now have a Parliamentary Inquiry in Victoria and a Royal Commission across the nation!
   I do not suggest for one minute that there is a magic bullet - and it's not a matter of &paying for the sins of the clergy.
   It's a matter of a compassionate Church recognising those in need who are, or have been, in their midst, and then reaching out to them with understanding and affirmation.
   On Sunday evening, I spent two hours yesterday with a victim and gave him $100, which had been given to me by two Geelong parishioners to help him put food on the table - in his case, the words being accurate and applicable.
   His response to this gift demonstrated totally how clearly he understood that the small amount, generously given, was provided in love and support for a total stranger.
   I'd be happy to introduce Jim or Joan to just a few of the wonderful, yet too often deeply damaged survivors I know.
   Perhaps they might then see this issue differently.

   Posted By: Fr. Kevin Dillon

4. While I appreciate and applaud Kevin Dillon's courage in speaking his mind on this matter, I agree with Jim and Joan Seymour here that it is not up to the laity and parishes to fund Dillon’s suggested 'pastoral fund'.
   No way mate, not the laity yet again, for something that was not of their doing.
   As Jim suggests, we could begin with the sale of some Church property assets, perhaps including the odd basilica or two, perhaps starting with St Mary of the Angels, Geelong!

   Posted By: Christopher McElhinney

5. The Church must pay and not the laity.
   You make your bed -- you lie in it.

   Posted By: Pat

6. It is a naive if well-meaning suggestion for several reasons: first, it suggests that money is all the victims want, which cannot be true because the church, already, and some would say misguidedly, has been throwing money at claimants, and that has not satisfied them.
   Second, as we see in the political sphere,as soon as any fund is set up for anything, there will always be opportunistic people who try to claim eligibility - this was the problem with the notorious 'pink batts' scheme, for instance.
   Third, it will (and from one posting here clearly has already done so) annoy lay Catholics who resent paying up for something they were not guilty or or even aware of.
   It may be true that the Church procedures in existence are so unsuccessful that they should be shut down. Better now to do what should have been done before: report all claims to the police. The law should then take its course but by the same token, if there is no evidence to prove a crime, the accused should be accorded the same presumption of innocence as in all other cases of alleged criminality.

   Posted By: fred

7. This is not a comment on the proposal, neither for nor against.
   I am however bemused at the catchcry of the 'church' not the laity should pay.
   Where does the money the Church uses in her ministry come from? The laity for the most part.
   As to selling Church property, paid for and worked for by faithful Catholics, that would be to me a scandal.

   Posted By: Peter in Canberra

8. Father Kevin Dillon for very many years had the compassion and the courage to challenge the hierarchy to admit and deal with paedophile clergy.
   I imagine many victims would simply appreciate a formal apology, but others may be in need of monetary recompence for related medical treatment and legal expenses.
   I believe there are enough faithful who are able as well as willing to contribute to restitution. I would.

   Posted By: Kathleen Cudmore

9. Every one (victims, laity, clergy and society at large) all need to know if processes and practices are being put into action with ongoing refinement to prevent sexual abuse. This is the only way forward

   Posted By: JM

10. Justice for those abused by clergy in Australia is mandatory; no decent person would want otherwise, nor deny that there are terrible, true cases of abuse.
    At the current juncture, suggestion of a Church 'pastoral' compensation fund will need to rely on the support of Catholic laity to contribute money (or to sell assets).
    Clergy abuse of children is a fact and must not be hidden, but the problem of false/exaggerated allegations driven by prospects of monetary compensation is also fact and should not be hidden either.
    Journalist David Pierre details sobering US evidence including :
    1) In 2010, veteran attorney D. Steier swore on oath his belief 'vast' frauds had been committed.
    For example, victim advocacy website information on identity and modus operandi of accused clergy have been allegedly exploited by people who want to bring false ' me too' claims.
    2) A conservative estimate is 1 in 3 accusations brought against US priests are entirely false or greatly exaggerated - one FBI investigator estimated 1 in 2.
    The US evidence needs a full and frank discussion by all those involved in the issue here.
    All should be aware that evidence is now emerging in the US that demonstrates when there is a prospect of large monetary compensation , the frequency of entirely false or greatly exaggerated claims increases.
    References: Pierre, D.
    (2011) Double Standard. Abuse scandals and the attack on the Catholic Church.
    (2012). Catholic priests falsely accused. The facts, the fraud, the stories.
    

    Posted By: Meg

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